Is The Xfinity Series Fair?

03/21/2016

Vivian Simons

Have you ever been decorating for a child's birthday party and everything is going really smooth? The tables are perfect, with decorations, prizes, punch and the cake. The streamers are colorful and the young birthday person is beaming with anticipation and happiness. The last thing you do is blow up balloons and then wait for the guests. You rush to the kitchen, take a last look around to make sure you have not forgotten anything. Then you head back to the party room and see the birthday child crying. Most of the balloons have deflated and are slowly falling to floor. Major disappointment abounds.

What does this have to do with Xfinity racing, you ask. Here is where the comparison comes in. Like any auto racing fan during race season, when Thursday comes each week we start feeling anticipation about the races that will take place during the weekend. Friday morning we finish our chores early, gather snacks and drinks and sit down just in time to start watching practice. The cars look and sound really good. You see and hear the names of all the drivers and begin to enjoy watching. Then all of a sudden you get the same feeling you had when the balloons started falling to the floor. Major disappointment sets in. It is obvious that a Cup driver is beginning to dominate practice again and you immediately feel let down because that same driver will also probably dominate the race. At that point, excitement diminishes and you begin to channel surf as hundreds, maybe even thousands of other fans start to do. Some fans will even turn the television off and occupy the time that is normally spent on NASCAR television events in some other way. Somewhere in the recesses of a fan's mind, hope does remain that next week will be different, but so many times it is not; and so the disappointment continues week after week. At that point we begin to feel sad and become unhappy race fans.

There are varying opinions from drivers, owners, sponsors and NASCAR as to whether or not this is detrimental to the sport. Race Hub had an interview with Steve O'Donnell in reference as to whether Kyle Busch was too good for the Xfinity Series. I thought his answer was evasive, but got the feeling that NASCAR is looking into whether there should be any changes in how many races, if any, of the lesser series Cup drivers can compete in. Sponsors were mentioned and then they alluded to how Kyle was not as good when he was driving as owner of his own team. Something they did not mention was that the high dollar Cup team owners can spend more on research and testing along with the fact that they normally have their Cup team crews in the pits. These crews are usually faster and smoother because of their training and experience and that gives them an unfair advantage.

When too many Cup drivers enter an Xfinity race there are times when some lesser teams don't make the race. They spend money and may travel many miles to try to get a start in the professional racing world, only to have to pack up and go home because some Cup driver was faster and knocked them out of the lineup in what might have been their only chance to race for the year. A lot of these drivers are limited in funds. We all understand one must have money to prepare a car and hire help, so how will a new driver get a chance to show off his skills and ability to race if he has to compete with high dollar professional teams and owners like Joe Gibbs and others? We see very few new owners coming into the sport and one has to question why.

I am not a fan of Kyle Busch, but I do think he is one of the best NASCAR drivers in series and I have a lot of respect for his driving skills. I also have always had a lot of respect for Joe Gibbs. However, in this case I think I have to express my feelings that they are driving fans and television viewers away from the Xfinity and truck series. Sponsors also have a say about who they want in the cars at some races and they sign on with the stipulation that their preferred driver will be in the car at those races. I am sure they realize that some fans boycott or buy their products based on who is driving their car at the time. The bottom line is they supply the dollars and the owner will put their chosen driver in the car per their contract.

Through the years we have had what have been called Busch Whackers, Claim Jumpers and now the Xfactors who run in the lesser series. Maybe if they would limit the number of races that this type of intruder can run and not let them enter consecutive races, then I think the fans may be happier. Teams are very important when it comes down to success in this sport; but should teams and drivers be allowed to cross over into the lesser series and then dominate them? There is no perfect answer to this question. There are many of us who do not like what is happening. There are choices we can make to express our displeasure. We can support other racing if we think it is more fair to all drivers and we can also support our local tracks if one is near where we live. All types of racing can be exciting if we give it a chance. The other thing we can do is tune out these NASCAR races that we feel are unfair to not only the lesser series drivers but also to the ones who are trying to break into those series. The thing we cannot do is control NASCAR and make their decisions for them. That is their playground and we are on the outside looking in - or not.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Race Fans Forever are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of Race Fans Forever. Race Fans Forever is not affiliated with NASCAR or any other motorsports sanctioning body in any form..